Ragin' Cajuns Battle Toppers With High Seed On The Line

Game Notes

Louisiana (19-10, 10-6 SBC) at
WKU (19-10, 11-5 SBC)

Date: Thursday, March 6, 2014
Time: 7 p.m. CST
Site: E.A. Diddle Arena (7,326); Bowling Green, Ky.

Radio: KHXT (107.9 FM)
Play-By-Play: Jay Walker

TV: None

Series: WKU leads, 25-16
Last Meeting: WKU 79, Louisiana 70; 1/25/14, Lafayette, La.

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA

BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana: 62-61 (4th year)
4-Year Overall: 287-192 (16th year)
All Collegiate: 410-227 (21st year)
vs. WKU: 2-4

WKU
RAY HARPER (Kentucky Wesleyan, '85)
At WKU: 50-34 (3rd year)
Overall: 392-97 (14th year)
vs. Louisiana: 3-0

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (19-10, 10-6 SBC) open the final week of the 2013-14 regular-season when it faces WKU (19-10, 11-5 SBC) in a 7 p.m. contest at E.A. Diddle Arena. The Cajuns, who have won six of their last seven games, are currently in third place in the Sun Belt Conference standings and one game behind WKU. The second-place team in the final league standings will receive a bye into the semifinals of the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Championships that are scheduled for March 13-16 at New Orleans' Lakefront Arena. Louisiana is coming off a 102-74 victory over South Alabama on Sunday as the Ragin' Cajuns shot a blistering 62 percent from the floor and held a 47-27 advantage on the glass. WKU has won nine of its last 12 games, including a 79-70 victory over the Cajuns in the previous meeting between the teams on Jan. 25 in Lafayette. The Hilltoppers earned a split last week on their tour of Texas, edging Texas State, 51-50, before dropping an 80-73 decision at UT Arlington on Saturday.

LOUISIANA IN THE NCAA STATS: The Cajuns were featured prominently in the latest NCAA stats, which were released on Monday (March 2). Shawn Long was sixth in double-doubles (14), ninth in rebounds (10.5), 10th in total field goals made (192), 23rd in blocks (2.8) and 42nd in scoring (19.4). Junior Elfrid Payton was 11th in steals (2.4), 18th in assists (5.9) and 35th in scoring (19.7), owning one of nine triple-doubles in the nation this year. As a team, the Cajuns were 11th in scoring offense (81.9), 35th in steals (7.6) and 43rd in field goal percentage (.472).

MAKING THE GRADE: One thing that head coach Bob Marlin has emphasized in his three seasons at Louisiana is the necessity that his players give 100-percent both on and off the court. This demand has led to positive results in the classroom. During the spring 2013 semester, the Ragin' Cajuns set a program record with a 2.904 grade point average for the team. They backed that up with a 2.854 during the recently completed fall semester, the second-highest average in the 31 years that athletics has tracked grades, with eight of the 15 players posting a 3.0 or better. In seven semesters under head coach Bob Marlin, the Cajuns have recorded seven of the top 10 semesters in program history.

PAYTON RECEIVES POW HONORS: For the second straight week, the Cajuns have swept the two weekly player of the week awards as junior guard Elfrid Payton was the recipient of both honors. Payton averaged 22.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 4.0 steals in leading the Cajuns past both UALR and Arkansas State last week. He shot .667 from the field (16-24) en route to registering his 14th and 15th 20-point gmes of the season.

LONG REACHES THE 1,000-POINT MARK: A 16-point effort against Arkansas State on Saturday (Feb. 15) allowed Shawn Long to become the 41st player in school history to score 1,000 points in a career and the fifth to accomplish it as a sophomore. Long, who scored 20 points against South Alabama on Sunday, has now scored 1,058 career points. He is the second of three Cajuns to reach the milestone this year, joining Elfrid Payton who now has 1,288 points (27th) and Bryant Mbamalu, who reached the milestone against South Alabama on March 2. Long joins Bo Lamar (1,631 points), Andrew Toney (1,269), Kevin Brooks (1,053) and Jerry Flake (1,042) as the 1,000-point sophomores.

2x1000: When Shawn Long surpassed the 1,000-point mark against Arkansas State on Saturday (Feb. 15), joining teammate Elfrid Payton as 1,000-point scorers, it marked the seventh time in school history that two Cajuns accomplished the feat in the same season. It was also the 16th time that a team had two 1,000 point scorers on it. The last time the Cajuns had two 1,000-point players in the same year came in 2005-06 when Michael Southall and Dwayne Mitchell accomplished it.

. . . AND MBAMALU MAKES THREE: A career-high 32-point game against South Alabama allowed senior Bryant Mbamalu to become the 42nd player in school history to score 1,000 career points. Mbamalu, who finished 10-for-19 from the field and 5-for-7 from behind the 3-point line, scored his 1,000th point when he made the second of two free throws with 1:58 remaining.

. . . AND 3x1000: With Mbamalu reaching the 1,000-point mark for his career, joining teammates Elfrid Payton and Shawn Long, it marks the fourth time in school history that a Louisiana team has three 1,000-point scorers on it and the first time that all three went over the plateau in the same season. The first trio came in 1971-72 when career scoring leader Dwight "Bo" Lamar (3,493 points), Roy Ebron (1,683 points) and Payton Townsend (1,240) accomplished it. It also happened in 1983 with Graylin Warner (1,762), Dion Brown (1,412) and Alonza Allen (1,211) and finally in 1993-94 with Michael Allen (1,673), Byron Starks (1,592) and Tony Moore (1,118).

PAYTON IS THE NEW STEALS KING: With two steals against South Alabama, junior Elfrid Payton increased his career total to 185, eclipsing the school-record of 184 set by Chris Manuel (1995-98). Payton had 37 steals as a freshman in 2011-12 and 80 in 2012-13, the third-highest single season total in school history. Payton has a Sun Belt-leading 68 steals this season.

PLAYING OVERTIME: The Feb. 13 double overtime win over UALR improved the Cajuns to 2-1 this year in overtime games and 8-5 in extra time in four seasons under head coach Bob Marlin. The three overtime games are the most in a season since Louisiana went 4-1 in OT in 2011-12, Marlin's second season with the Cajuns. The Cajuns are now 31-20 all-time in overtime games and 8-11 in double overtime contests.

THE QUEST FOR 20: With three games remaining in the regular-season plus the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Tournament, the Ragin' Cajuns are on the verge of their first 20-win season since 2002-03. Louisiana has produced 21 seasons with 20 or more victories with a school-record 25 coming twice (1970-71 and 1999-2000).

HAYWARD REGISTERS A CAREER HIGH: With Kasey Shepherd sidelined for the remainder of the season with a knee injury, head coach Bob Marlin has found some relief in freshman Hayward Register. Register, who scored just 26 points on 6-for-28 shooting from the 3-point line (.214) while playing in 14 of the first 22 games has responded by averaging 5.7 points and shooting .545 from long range (12-for-22) over the last seven games. Included in that total is a career-high 17-point effort at UT Arlington on Feb. 6, an outburst that more than doubled his previous scoring high of seven points.

AT HOME IN THE DOME: In each of the past five seasons, the Ragin' Cajuns have posted double-digit win totals in the friendly confines of the Cajundome. During the 2013-14 season, the Cajuns posted a 13-2 record - their best win total in the Dome since going 13-4 in 1990-91. The 13 wins this season marks the third time that has occurred (1989-90, 1990-91). The Ragin' Cajuns record for single-season wins in the Cajundome is 14 set in 1988-89.

SHOOTING IS THE DIFFERENCE: Sunday's win over South Alabama marked the 17th time that the Cajuns have shot better from the field than their opponent in a game this season with Louisiana being a perfect 17-0 in those games. At the other end of the spectrum, the Cajuns are just 2-9 when their opponents shoots a higher percentage from the field. Turnovers have proven to be unimportant this season as Louisiana is 10-5 when committing the same number or more turnovers than its opponent and 9-5 when committing less.

A SHOOTING PERFORMANCE FOR PAYTON: Elfrid Payton was quite efficient against ULM on Feb. 1, going 13-for-14 from the field on his way to scoring a game-high 28 points. The shooting effort was the second-best on the team this year, trailing only the school-record equalling 12-for-12 game by Shawn Long against Centenary. Payton enters the week ranking 10th in the Sun Belt shooting .505 (159-316).

. . . AND PAYTON HAS KEPT IT GOING: In the six games since Elfrid Payton had his 13-for-14 shooting night against ULM (Feb. 1), Payton has kept his shooting touch, going a combined 53-for-89 from the field (.596) to improve to .519 shooting for the season (189-for-364), good for eighth in the Sun Belt. Payton has shot .500 or better in six of the eight games, including back-to-back 8-for-12 (.667) efforts in wins over UALR and Arkansas State.

SCORING OFF THE GLASS: Shawn Long has made the most of his rebounding opportunities this year, scoring 58 baskets off his 101 offensive rebounds this season for an average of 4.3 points a game. Long ranks second in the Sun Belt averaging 3.7 offensive rebounds a game and tied for second with teammate Elfrid Payton in scoring (19.5).

PAYTON MOVES UP SCORING CHART: A 13-point effort against Georgia State on Saturday enabled Elfrid Payton to move within two points of catching Randal Smith (1,300 points from 1984-88) for 25th place on the Cajuns career scoring list. Payton became the 40th Cajun to score 1,000 career points in the win over Central Methodist on Dec. 30. Payton, who is averaging 19.5 points, has three career 30-point games and has scored 20 or more points 25 times.

PAYTON HAS SPENT THE SEASON AT THE LINE: With 260 free throw attempts this year, Elfrid Payton enters the week ranked fourth nationally. Niagara's Antoine Mason leads the country with 324 attempts with Tennessee State's Patrick Miller (268), Ovie Soko of Duquense (262) and Payton following. Payton's 260 attempts are just 13 away from Dean Church's single-season record of 273 attempts set in 1964-65. Payton has shot 603 career free throws, including 133 as a freshman in 2011-12 and 209 in 2012-13. He has attempted eight or more free throws in a game 18 times this season.

MARLIN CLAIMS 400TH VICTORY: Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin used a 90-58 win over Central Methodist on Dec. 30 to claim his 400th as a head coach at the collegiate level. Marlin enters the weekend with a 410-227 record (.643) in 21 seasons as a head coach. He was 123-35 in five seasons at Pensacola J.C. (1990-95), winning the 1993 national championship, and 225-131 in 12 years at Sam Houston State (1998-2010). He reached the 50-win mark at Louisiana in the win over Houston on Dec. 14 and owns a 62-61 record.

MBAMALU BACK: After missing the first 12 games of the season with a foot injury suffered in September, senior Bryant Mbamalu returned to the lineup on Dec. 30 and has played in the last 17 games. Mbamalu is averaging 13.1 points and 4.5 rebounds as a starter over the last 15 games. Mbamalu scored a career-high 32 points against South Alabama, 21 points against Troy and 19 points in games against Arkansas State (Feb. 15) and Georgia State (Feb. 22). On the season, Mbamalu has shot 72-for-153 (.471) from the field this season. As a junior in 2012-13, Mbamalu averaged 13.8 points and 3.7 rebounds a game, finishing second on the team with 49 treys. He scored in double figures 22 times, including five 20-point games and one 30-point game.

20-POINT GAMES: The versatility of the Louisiana lineup this season is evident by the four Cajuns who have combined to score 20 or more points in a game 33 times this season, surpassing the total for the entire 2012-13 season. Elfrid Payton (15) and Shawn Long (13) lead the way, including five contests in which they both scored 20 points. Xavian Rimmer (3), Bryant Mbamalu (1) and Kasey Shepherd (1) have come off the bench to reach the mark. Last year, Cajuns players had 25, 20-point games, with all but one coming from a starter. Payton and Long had nine each with Mbamalu adding five and Alan-Michael Thompson getting two.

. . . AND 30-POINT EFFORTS: When Bryant Mbamalu scored a career-high 32 points against South Alabama on March 2, it marked the sixth time this season that a Ragin' Cajuns player scored 30 or more points in a game. Elfrid Payton has recorded three 30-point games on the season - 34 vs. ULM (1/4), 32 vs. Oakland (11/23) and 31 vs. Houston (12/14). Shawn Long posted two games with 30 or more points - 31 vs. UT Arlington (2/6) and 30 vs. Centenary (12/17). Last year, the only 30-point game by a Cajun came when Payton scored 32 points against WKU.

RIMMER COMES THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH: Junior Xavian Rimmer has gained a reputation for making the last-second shot in his first season with the Ragin' Cajuns. Rimmer made a game-winning 3-pointer with 11.6 seconds left at Texas State (2/8) to cap a Cajuns rally from 12 points down to claim a 67-66 win. At Jackson State on Dec. 19, he made a 3-pointer with nine seconds left to tie the game at 67-67. On Jan. 4 at ULM, he was fouled with 2.3 seconds left and made all three free throws to tie the game at 74-74 and force overtime.

PAYTON NEARS FIFTH ON ASSISTS LIST: With 48 assists in his last seven games, Elfrid Payton has moved past both Kenneth Lawrence (401 assists from 2000-03) and George Almones (402, 1983-85) and into sixth place on the Louisiana career assist chart with 453 career assists. Payton has a ways to go to continue his climb, needing 18 assists to catch Eric Mouton (1988-92), who had 471 assists, for fifth place.

LONG MOVES INTO THIRD ON CAREER BLOCK CHART: A two-block effort against Troy moved sophomore Shawn Long past Graylin Warner (138 blocks from 1981-84) into third place on the career blocks list with 139. Long, who added three blocks against South Alabama to increase his total to 143, now needs 26 to catch Reginlad Poole (1995-99) for second-place at 169. Long has 78 blocks this year and 65 last season, the fifth and seventh-highest single season total in Cajuns history.

LONG LIKES TO DOUBLE UP: Sophomore Shawn Long picked right up where he left off last spring, registering double-doubles in 15 of the 28 games that he has played to rank seventh nationally. Long has 33 double-doubles in 61 career games. He enters the weekend leading the SBC in blocked shots (2.8), rebounding (10.4) and defensive rebounding (6.7), is ranked second in offensive rebounds (3.6), second in scoring (19.5) and seventh in field goal percentage (.535).

PAYTON IS ON PACE FOR ANOTHER 15, 5, 5 & 2: Elfrid Payton was the only player in Division I last year to average 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals a game last year and he has done it again through 29 games this season. Payton enters the WKU game averaging 19.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.3 steals a game. Last year, he averaged 15.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.5 steals.

PAYTON NAMED TO WOODEN AWARD PRESEASON TOP 50: Cajuns junior point guard Elfrid Payton earned a big preseason honor on Nov. 12 when he was named to the 2013-14 John R. Wooden Award preseason top 50 list by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Named after the legendary UCLA head coach, the Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation.

. . . AND MORE HONORS FOR PAYTON: Being selected to the Wooden Award list is the latest in a long list of preseason awards for Elfrid Payton. Earlier in the fall, Payton was named to the preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, which is presented to the nation's top point guard by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition, Payton was named to the Mid-Major All-America first team by NBCSports.com and to the Lou Henson All-America team, which honors the nation's top mid-major players and is presented by CollegeInsider.com.

NEXT UP: The Cajuns will close out the regular-season on Saturday, March 8 in Jonesboro, Ark., against Arkansas State in a 7:05 p.m. contest at the Convocation Center.

Ragin' Cajuns Battle Toppers With High Seed On The Line

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